


Golden Eyes and Bottomless Pits

by altoinkblots



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:01:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23338807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/altoinkblots/pseuds/altoinkblots
Summary: Based off of this prompt: “you order the same thing every day and the one day you change your meal i’ve already had it wrapped and ready to go i demand justice."
Relationships: Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell
Comments: 7
Kudos: 63





	Golden Eyes and Bottomless Pits

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this was another 30-minute writing exercise (I should really start putting these into a series, huh).
> 
> HOWEVER it got a little away from me. By that, I mean I'm probably going to do some major clean-up work within the next couple of days because I now have nothing but time because I absolutely fell in love with this while writing and I probably won't be able to function as a human being until I make this more thought out and less of a word-vomit-get-this-out-as-fast-as-possible thing. So sit back, enjoy, and leave comments/kudos if you liked it because interacting with you guys literally makes my day. Onto the fic!!

Winry wiped down tables in the small cafe, stealing glances at the tall, blond-haired, golden-eyed man sitting by the window. He sat there every day, folded into the same position (one finger resting against his lip, his thumb on his chin, his eyes and eyebrows intently focused at his computer screen, his legs crossed) with the exact same drink and pastry. Medium hot chocolate with a shot of hazelnut and a bear claw. 

This man -- Ed, his name was Ed; Winry had written his name on his drink enough times to have it memorized -- was a creature of habit. At nine o-clock sharp, he came into Rose Coffee, ordered the exact same thing, and sat in the exact same seat. At ten forty-five he would pack up his laptop, leave a tip in the tip jar, and walk out. Sometimes if his seat was taken he would move next to the wall of Garfiel’s homemade coffee mixes and work from there. He had been doing this for so long that, as soon as Winry saw him walk into the coffeeshop, she would start on his drink. Yes, Rush Valley was busy at that time of morning, but Winry would gladly admit she had a little bit of a crush on him. It wasn’t like she was hiding it or anything; it was nice to have a sense of order and consistency in her not orderly nor consistent life. 

Ed looked up from his computer, giving her a small smile and a wave. She was wiping down the table next to him, and could see that his laptop screen was filled with lines of text. She waved back, her blue gloves turning yellow from the gunky water. He turned back to his laptop.

At ten forty-five sharp, he put his laptop in his bag, put a tip into the tip jar, and walked out of the coffee shop with a wave.

The next morning, right as the clock in the back room struck nine, he walked into Rose Coffee. Winry had his order waiting for him, the hot chocolate and bear claw waiting to go. 

“Good morning,” she said with a grin.

He yawned. “Morning.” He brushed his bangs out of his face. “Can I get a black coffee with a shot of espresso?”

Winry blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Oh, and can I get a raspberry Danish as well?”

She held up a finger. “Hold up. You’re  _ not _ getting hot chocolate with a shot of hazelnut and a bear claw?”

Ed blinked. “Um… no, I’m not.”

“Then why the hell did I make this for you already?” She gestured to the hot chocolate and bear claw, the steam from the drink rising in slow, lazy spirals. 

“Did you write my name on the plate?” he asked, poking the paper plate the bear claw rested on. 

“Of course I did,” she snapped. “I always do.”

Ed frowned. “I did not notice. Sorry, uh…” he glanced at her name tag. “Winry. Sorry. I would still like some coffee, though.”

Winry ground her teeth. “Fine. What size coffee would you like?”

Ed opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. “You know my name? Like, you’ve written my name on paper plates, and we’ve never really… spoken?”

Winry shrugged. “You started becoming a regular, so I memorized your order. Is that really that odd?”

Ed groaned. “Now I feel like a dick. Forget the coffee and Danish; I’ll take the hot chocolate and bear claw because you went to all that trouble to get it for me.”

“No way!” Winry cried. “You want coffee, so you’ll get coffee. Was that one shot of espresso, or two?”

Ed waved his hand around. “No, seriously, forget it. That’s seven eighty-five, right?”

Winry glared at him. He stared back. He blinked. She blinked. 

“Look,” he said, “I really appreciate you paying attention to what I get every day --”

“It’s not like it’s a hard order, anyway. You should see some of the other people that come through here.”

He snorted. “I’m sure. I’ve seen some pretty crazy orders in my lifetime. One time, my brother got a frozen green tea latte with cashew milk and no foam. I had to watch the poor barista and his manager try and figure out what the hell he meant by cashew milk.”

Winry snorted, which turned into full-on laughter. Garfiel poked his head out to see what was going on. “Winry?” he called, “are you helping a customer?”

“Yes, Mr. Garfiel,” Winry said, a little out of breath. Her and Ed glanced at each other, then burst into peals of laughter. Their laughter slowly subsided; which was hard, because every time they looked at each other they would start laughing all over again. Soon, Winry wasn’t sure why they were laughing in the first place.

Winry wiped tears away from her eyes. It had been a long time since she had laughed so hard over anything, and it felt wonderful.

“On second thought,” he said, getting his breath back from laughing, “I don’t think I’ll need the boost of caffeine. Hot chocolate and a bear claw, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Winry rang him up for his order and gave it to him. “If it doesn't bother with your schedule too much, I get off at noon,” she said. “We could… possibly keep this going.” She gestured between the two of them. 

He smiled, a firm stare in his eyes. “See you then, Winry,” he said, going off into his corner by the window, his messenger bag hitting him in the side of the leg. 

The rest of her shift passed both too fast and too slow. Working in Rush Valley, Dublith’s ever-busy coffee and restaurant district, meant that her shifts were never slow, but this one seemed to drag on for forever. She kept glancing at the clock every thirty seconds or so, hoping that this time it would be closer to when her shift ended. Every once in a while she’d glance over at Ed, who was busy typing away on his laptop, sitting as he always did. How he sat, and with how his bangs fell around his face, actually blocked out the sun that streamed in from the window and gave him a really nice halo effect. 

When Paninya walked in at twelve fifteen, Winry all but threw her apron off and clocked out in the same motion. She waved to Garfiel, and rushed over to Ed’s table. He jumped a little when he saw her, too absorbed in whatever he was doing.

“I’m done,” she said, not exactly sure what to do next. She hadn’t thought this far in advance. 

“Sweet,” he said, packing up his laptop and slinging his bag over his shoulder. “Where do you want to go?”

She shrugged. “Anywhere, really.” Her face flushed when she realized what she said, but she kept firm.

He smiled, and the two of them walked out of the coffee shop. As usual, he left a tip in the tip jar, but this time he held the doors open for her. It was sunny outside, but Winry could see storm clouds on the horizon. They walked down Rush Valley, their shoulders bumping into each other. Once the conversation started -- about what, Winry wasn’t completely sure -- it was almost too easy to talk to him. They walked and talked, sharing bad puns and sometimes Ed accidentally pushed her off of the sidewalk a couple of times. She smacked him on the arm when he did that, always a little harder than she meant to, but he laughed it off. 

He had a nice laugh. Warm and infectious. Before she knew it, Winry was half in love with his laugh.

The storm clouds moved ever closer, and before she knew it, they were huddled underneath a small overhang, completely soaked through. They glanced at each other, then started giggling. Feeling very, very brave, Winry grabbed Ed’s hand in her own. He squeezed it and a warmth blossomed in her chest. He looked over at her, his eyes a dark gold in the darker lighting that seemed to pierce right into her soul.

_ I think this is what they mean by crossroads _ , she thought.  _ Here I am, at the edge of a cliff, and all I can see are his eyes, like molten gold, pulling me in. Urging me to take the plunge into the unknown. Just a single step off of this cliff, Winry, and there’s no going back. Not from this. _

She smiled at him, and stepped off of the cliff.


End file.
